Using smart lights is very easy if you know the right buttons to press. For instance, after acquiring smart lights, how do you install them? Since you need more than illumination— whenever you use smart lights— how do you introduce other devices into the system?
If you seek answers to the above questions, worry no more. This short but straight-to-point article answers all your questions.
To use smart lights, you need a hub. Alternatively, you can use dimmer switches, motion detectors, or an IFTTT platform. Here is the nitty-gritty of control systems.
Using a Smart Home Hub
A hub is a central device or app that controls your smart lighting system. It enables you to adjust the brightness and colors of your lighting system. You make the lights to do an action (technically referred to as a trigger) through tapping.
A hub induces mesh networking of your devices. Simply put, mesh networking is the ability of several devices to connect and communicate from a point. It applies the concept of IoT.
To understand the control system of the smart home hub, let us see what happens under the hood. Internet of things (IoT) is the ability of devices to send requests and receive responses autonomously through the IoT platform.
For the devices to understand each other, they need to trace each other’s IP address This happens through sensors in the devices. For example, your thermostat locates smart lights and able to respond to a slight change in color or brightness of the lights.
Since you may have teens of devices connected to the platform, you need a control system that explicitly initiates every trigger. This is where your smart home hub comes in.
For example, it may be an app on your smartphone. It shows you the number of devices in the network. You can set what, how, and when a trigger should occur.
After installing the smart bulbs, open the hub and connect them to a particular network. Mostly, the app needs to be in the same room as your lights and needs a Wi-Fi connection.
Sometimes the hub has a large geographical coverage that enables you to control your devices remotely. The more exciting part is that you don’t have to cram how to use a smart home hub.
The seller of the smart bulb should direct you on how to use it since most bulbs have different control systems. Alternatively, check out the following 3 control systems:
Alternatives to a Smart Home Hub
First, you can use a dimmer switch. Like electric switches, dimmer switches are mounted on the wall. You can pull or push them to cause a trigger in your lighting system.
Secondly, you can use motion sensors. This control system digs deeper into artificial intelligence. Here, the devices have the natural abilities of a human being.
For example, the lights can feel when a human being comes closer to them. They can automatically switch on or off depending on the setting you have committed to the smart lighting system. The ability to recognize bodies make the lights suitable for the security of your property.
However, here is a catch:
There is no standardized motion detector system for a smart home. This may mean you seek the services of an IFTTT system. If This, Then That (IFTTT) is a platform of customized complex rules.
The IFTTT platform (through ifttt.com) enables you to control your smart lighting system through dedicated channels on your iPhone, iPad, Android, or smartwatch. You initiate the triggers through your mobile device’s contacts, photo gallery, location, or reminders.
Conclusion
The advancement in technology has made it easier to control your smart lighting system. All you need are smart bulbs and the devices you want to connect to a network, a control system, and (sometimes) a Wi-Fi connection.
Then, pick a control system that meets your efficiency needs or recommendation by the seller of the smart lights.
Disclaimer: This article contains sponsored marketing content. It is intended for promotional purposes and should not be considered as an endorsement or recommendation by our website. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and exercise their own judgment before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article.
